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AN INTERESTING STORY FROM
THE BOYS' COURT
James O'Leary, a boy of 18,
charged with larceny, was to all in
tents and purposes on trial in the
hoys' court yesterday., but the real
issue on trial was whether the psy
chopathic laboratory, which is cost
ing the city quite a lot of money to
maintain, is doing good or harm
when the sentencing of a hoy must
depend on whether the judge who
tries him feels lenient to defectives
or believes they are a menace to so
ciety and must be incarcerated.
Ass't State's Att'y Malcolm B.
Sterrett went further and declared
he thought the psychopathic labora
tory itself was on trial.
The reco'rjd in the O'Leary case
showed that the boy last winter was
arrested, charged with taking down
a couple of fence rails, splitting them
up and using them for kindling to
make a fire to warm himself.
Brought into the boys' court he
was tried by Chief Justice Harry
Olson, who was on the bench for the
dav.
"The boy stutters badly," Judge
Judge Olson said. "I haven't a doubt
he is a mental defective. Have him
tested in the psychopathic labora
tory." The test was made and the
boy declared a moron, whereupon
Judge Olson sentenced him to the
House of Correction for six months.
"It was a case of penalizing the boy
for being a moron," Sterrett de
clared. "If he had been sentenced for
just splitting up a couple of fence
rails for kindling he would probably
have gotten sixty days at the most
or been placed on probation. He wag
claimed defective by the psycho
pathic laboratory and Judge Olson
Bent him away for six months.
"If we admitted the tests were in
fallible it would still be a matter of
what judge- tried the boy as to what
ounishment would be meted out to
him. Judge Dolan would probably
not have sent him to the House of
Correction. Judge Olson did.
"In the case of O'Leary, Judge Do
lan and I both believe the boy is a
normal boy. Judge Newcomer would
have said he was brilliant. Judge
Wells would say, 'To h with his de
fects. Judge Stewart would have
said it is a question of whether the
boy knows the difference between
right and wrong that's all. And it
seems to me that it is all wrong to
place a boy in a position where what
justice is meted out to him will be
according to the sentiment of the
judge toward a psychopathic test.
"Personally, I am not in sympathy
with the idea that defective boys are
usually criminals. It is my opinion
that the greater proportion of defec
tive or underdeveloped boys are walk
ing around the streets hurting no one
and that it takes a well-developed
brain to plan and carry out crimes.
"The test of anything is the re
sult of it, and we are certainly get
ting no results from psychopathic
laboratory tests of boy criminals."
o o
CHICAGO IS OUT AFTER TWO BIG
POLITICAL CONVENTIONS
ilfpfe. i: mK&l
EEETKWOPHAM
Frederick W. UDham. Chicajr-'
financier, who is leading a movement
to land the Republican and Demo
cratic conventions for Chicago in
1916. He's trying to raise a conven
tion entertainment fund of $160,000,